The Lao women’s football team train in the rain in Hanoi on Sunday.  --Photo Lao Football Federation

Lao women take on Myanmar at SEA Games football tournament

Laos’ women footballers will play Myanmar in their first match of the South-East Asian (SEA) Games in Vietnam, taking to the pitch at 4pm on Tuesday.
The match will be played at the Cam Pha stadium in Hanoi.
The team arrived in Vietnam on May 6, since when they have been training in anticipation of their first match.
Sunday was a rainy day but it didn’t stop the players from honing their tactics and further boosting their fitness levels, and they all remain injury free.
Lao fans will be in the stands to cheer on the squad and spur them to victory against Myanmar.
The team has been drawn in Group B and hopes to play five matches. They next play Singapore on May 13 and Thailand on May 15.
The footballers have been building their skills during intensive training in Xaythany district for the past month and are now looking forward to putting them into practice.
Thailand and Myanmar are strong teams in Group B, but the Lao women will do their best to get points from their matches.
In a recent AFC competition, Japan beat Myanmar in the women’s football event, although Myanmar has some experienced footballers who have played for India.
Group A in the women’s SEA Games competition comprises Vietnam, the Philippines, Cambodia and Indonesia.
Some of the Lao team have been playing football since they were 15 or 16 after a women’s training regime was introduced in 2016.
Since then, women footballers have competed at the Asean Championship and other events in Asia, with the most outstanding players now forming the women’s national team.
The team comprises three goalkeepers from Vientiane and Savannakhet province, while most of the other players come from Vientiane and five are based in Savannakhet.
In October 2021, Laos took part in the AFC Women’s Asian Cup India 2022 Qualifiers, hosted by Bahrain.

By Times Reporters
(Latest Update May 10, 2022)